


untitled

by astersandstuffs



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Genophage, Hope, Paragade/Renegon, Post-Mass Effect 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 08:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21491221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astersandstuffs/pseuds/astersandstuffs
Summary: Forty years was old for a scientist salarian.
Kudos: 3





	untitled

It didn't take long for the matter to be raised.

"What about the krogan, sir?"

Even in hiding, an ex-STG agent heard many things.

"Our forces are exhausted. We lost _twelve million_ soldiers in the final push on Earth, and we can barely feed those who survived. Palaven is burnt, the colonies and their food stores are burnt, and the quarians are eager to scuttle back to their homeworld after they scavenge the battlefield like vultures."

"Even _if_ the genophage is intact..."

"The salarians will help. They have no choice."

"And we're still the ones who die while they play in their labs."

"With the mass relays crippled..."

"We can't put them down, not without great losses."

"Urdnot Wreav and his brood are already threatening to take one of Earth's continents by force—"

"Then let them, while we recover our strength! That insufferable human wanted to cure the genophage in the first place, serves them right—"

"Watch your words, General," snapped a turian who must be the highest-ranking officer, for there wasn't as much as a peep from the others in response. It was a grave time indeed when even turians 'shit out the sticks up their asses,' as a certain human pilot had once observed. "_That human_ just won us the war. _That human_ got the krogan to help Palaven, whatever the cost. I wouldn't have been able to broker a peace treaty if _that human_ hadn't got me off of Menae. So pay your damn respect. Whatever's left of it."

The Primarch of Palaven let the tension loom. "We lure them to non-levo planets, bait them with territories to conquer and blood to spill, force them to survive on their humps alone. The krogan are demilitarized; they lack ships and supply lines. We and the asari will harass those that do exist to buy time for the salarians." A grim silence fell. "And if all else fails..." He did not need to say more.

"Nearly all krogan females are on Tuchanka," picked up another officer, her voice as weathered and hardened as the rest of them. "The bomb in Kelphic Valley is disabled, may the Spirits be with your son for his sacrifice. What about the others?"

Forty years was old for a scientist salarian. Too old.

"They don't deserve this," he heard the Primarch whisper.

He'd had an interesting life.

It wasn't over yet.


End file.
